FROZEN MEAT TRADE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7038, 28 January 1910, Page 5

FROZEN MEAT TRADE

PROPOSALS FOB IMPROVEMENT. IMPORTANT CONFERENCE AT CIIKISTCUURCII. FBESS .'.ESOCI.VTIOX. CHRISTCIIUEGH, January 27. The frozen meat conference called by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association on tho suggestion of Mr J. 1). Ilnll was opened at the rooms of the association this morning. THE DELEGATES.

Frozen Meat Companies: Farmers' Freezing Company, Auckland; Sheepfarmers' Freezing Company. Gisborno; Patea Freezing Company; VTanganui Freezing Company; iiritisli and Hawlce's Bay Freezing Company; Nelson Freezing CompanV; Wellington Meat Export Company; Gear Meat Preserving Company, Wellington; Christchurch Meat Company; Canterbury Frozen Meat Company; British and New Zealand Meat Company; Borthwick and Co.; Ocean Beach Freezing Works, Southland.

Chambers of Commerce: Canterbury, Dunediu, Marlborough', Napier, Nelson, Tiinaru and Wangauui. Agricultural and Pastoral Associations : Auckland. Ashburton, Canterbury, Carterton, Hawarden, Marlborough, North Otago, Napier, Nelson, Hangiora, Otago, Timaru, Wanganui. Farmers' Unions: Auckland, Gisborno, Marlborough, Nelson, North Canterbury, Otago, Scargill, South Canterbury, Southland, Wellington. The Canterbury Sheepoivners' Union. Shipping Companies: Fcderal-Houlder-Shire Line, New Zealand Shipping Company.

Stock Agents: Dalgoty and Co., H. Jlatsou and Co,, Pyno and Co., Now Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association, National Mortgage and Agency Company, New Zealand Loan and Mercantile, Wright, Stephenson and Co. Mr D. D. MacFarlane was elected chairman. WHY THE CONFERENCE WAS CALLED. The chairman said tho largo attendance showed that the Canterbury A. and P. Association was justified in calling the conference. Brief reference was necessary to tho circumstances under which the conference was convened. Tho trade had grown from 1,707,01181 b of mutton and lamb, valued at 5d per lb, equal to .£'35,000, in ISB2, to lb, valued at .£5,024,31-2. At the rate at which meat was exported in the last two years, a drop of Id per pound meant a loss of something like ,£1,000,000 to producers and. shippers. Market reports for the past twelve years showed that prices of lamb varied from. 4|d to Cihl and mutton from 3£d to 4£d, or an average of s£-d for lamb and 4id for mutton. London wholesale prices for mutton during last season were: —

Owing to tho drop which took place meat exported realised less by nearly ,£1,500,000 thou would liavo boon the case if the previous average prices wore maintained. A large proportion, of tln» loss was born© by producers m New Zealand and tho balance by c.i.f. buyers. It was impossible to accurately estimate those proportions. It appeared safe to assume that tho farmers of New Zealand lost over .£1,000,000. To prevent a recurrence of such a drop it '""as nooeseary to ascertain, if possible, the cause of tho drop, and then to devise and adopt such measures os were desirable and practicable. It was impossible for tho Now Zealand farmer to give personal attention to tho sale of his meat unless sold in the local stock markets, in which case ruling prices were governed by defective conditions which obtained m London markets, and low prices were fixed as the result of those conditions. It soemod eminently dosirablo that the former should gather as'much informs tion as possible for the purpose of enabUnsr him bo ascertain whether, when his produce was offered for sale and subsequently disposed of, de got a square and honest deal.” last year, m auco of the English market and of uhat their brother farmers were doing, INew Zealand producers consigned them lamb and mution for sale in d K ° 7^n 26 '™ o carcases of lamb m May cases in June, a total of 1,203,00 otov cases, as against 040,000 carcases for the S’mouths of tho previous year No special arrangements were mwlo tor age of this enormous \ncrease, and Lou don buyers, being aware of found it an excellent opportunity to en ga"e every inch of storage space available and then dictate prices to the urn fortomte sliipper, who had nowhere to nut Ins meat, and naturally no oono to udiom fo seil it Consequently stoppers wore absolutely helpless. Tho Wa£“ U hnrdlv attnWahlo to the a«ute Tendon buver, but rather to the ignor 10 3 the Nmv Zealand producer, and S tlte fact that ho h -*k no <mo o effectivolv protect his interests at tho .eilectivoiy u producer was,to consis E wls ultimately paid by the couoTthe meat. The remedy was for •Hip, to discuss —as to \i bother iStl 4v>r« reauirmg consideration vexe siicu SdutelT rates of insurance shipping freights and storage, methods of salie (boSi in the Doitonmn and m I^ndon^ advices to consumers as to prices aim amoSit of meat in London and, in transit the method of discharging from fwpTfo London and carriage to cold stores. Prom email beginnings in 183+lu. industry was now tho second largeet to tIS Dominion, and during that• the system of farming was quite a * te r®d; Better rotation of crops was adopted and tho fertility of the soil was maintaiued by the application of cheap efficient manures, {speaking Canto* bury, he could safely say that the firms were now in better heart than ever before but if there was a repetition of last’year's prices farmers would hare to put their land to other and more profitable uses. To the larger profits obtainable was duo the rapid increase ot the dairy industry. During die ten years ending 1908 the exports of dairy produce increased from A03*,i43 to £.\ 911 409—nearly three and a half times the amount: whilst frozen meat produce tocreSSfrom £1,501,468 to £2,910,784not quite double. Wheat was also eaEa"in"- more attention from farmers, and it °was expected that tho export of this cereal this year would bo a record. Whilst the farmer could turn his land to other uses, ho (the. chairman) would bo very sorry to see the freezing industry displaced from its present high ' position. Continual cropping and drawing would exhaust fho soil, and without sheep and freezing works they would find it difficult to maintain fertility of the soil. Tho association that ho represented consisted of farmers and sheep owners, and it was only reasonable to conclude that the point from whieii they would view the matter would be that of persons personally and financially interested in the result. He did not overlook the fact that representatives of freezing companies were a-p-o present, and for the?r presence, as indicating that they were willing to co-operate, th?y were grateful. Notwithstanding this, he thought the meeting must he rcailv considered as one of farmers, and as having been called for the purpose of ascertaining whether koto* combination could not be arranged amongst them

which would enable them to dispose ol their produce- in future under pome more businesslike) methods than hav» been adopted in the past, CO-OPERATION PROPOSED. Mr Geo. Sheat (North Canterbury execntive ot the Fanners' Union) moved a remit proposing that a farmers' cooperative distributing association bo formed to bring producer and consumer inio closer touch. He said that to prevent a recurrence of last season's glut it was suggested that producers should combine, and that perhaps cool stores should be provided at this end, where meat could be. kept until it was timo to place it on the London market. Mr K. Acton Adams seconded tha motion, and said that shippers really did not know who sold their meat at Home. There was tho idea of storing meat in New Zealand, as suggested by Mr Sheat. At Homo there was nothing known as to what moat was coming from New Zealand, and probably they <tid not want to know. Argentine people, however, knew what stocks were going forward, and fixed their prices accordingly, lie favoured the grading of meat in. the same way that butter and cheese were graded. After discussion, it was decided to refer the matter to a committee of inquiry set up by the conference.

MESSAGE FROM SIR JOSEPH WARD. Tho following telegram was received from tho Prime Minister: —"I much regret thut public duties prevent my attending the important conference held iu connection with tho frozon moat industry. My colleague tho Hon. T. Mackenzie, will represent tho Government, and needless to add that anything that the Government can do to assist in tho promotion on (sound linos of tho frozen meat industry of tho Dominion will be most readily done. The problem, of how to obtain the best prices without! undue fluctuation is an exceedingly diflicult one, and can, I think, bo only helped to a successful issue by the old law of supply and demand governing it. Much, -I think, can be done by xtvutuai effort on tho ipart of a number of interests operating in frozen meat ia NoW Zealand, and I am of opinioa that freedom of action without Government in--' terfeTenoe, excepting where it can ba exercised with tho goodwill of sheep* growers and Bheep salesmen, in. order .to improve tho conditions, is essential. When recently in London, tho wholo of tho imcat representatives- asked me to meet them in consequence of tho extraordinarily low prices, duo to a glut by over-supply. After full discussion, I expressed my willingness on behalf of th« Government to do anything at this endthat was possible to assist this groat industry in Which, this oouniry as o, whole is so deeply concerned on. to a, more satisfactory and favourable footing. Of course, tho abnormal' condition of tho extensively largo holdings in Eng-, land at tho timo cannot bo given as a> reliable condition to guide those concerned in preventing a recurrence, as naturally, if thoro is an over-supply at any one timo in Linden from tho various markets of the world, it can. only oe relieved by gradual absorption of stock, i* order to get things back at normal level.' I am quite- sure that the practical meat present at tho conference ar© both, anxious and desirous of improving th« trade in, every way, and should any suggestions as the result of your meeting bo mado to tho Government, I can assuror you they will be moßt carefully ' considered. ANOTHER; KEfiHT. A remit from tho Nelson Farmers*: Union—That a New -Zealand' Farmers'' Trust be formed to check any foreign combination inimical to tho farmers' interests, by controlling a sufficient number of retail outlets in tho Homo and Continental markets, run by New Zoalanders, and ensuring to the consumers demanding New Zealand a reliable and regular supply of the genuino . article—was referred to a. committee ol inquiry.

b Mutton. Lamb. d. d. February ... 3J Si March ... ... 31-5 44 April May ... 311-16 ... 31 413-18 4 Juno ... 3f July ... 21 s| August ... 211-16 3 September ... 3J 3il October ... a 4_i